Chapter 9: A Father's Warning
Heavy snow was still falling outside the classroom, the swirling flakes dyeing the world a vast, uniform white. Visibility was limited to no more than twenty meters.
By the time Shen Jiannan walked down the stairs, Tang Jiefang was already gone. Only a line of footprints in the fresh snow proved he had been there at all.
"Bring me tea!"
A strange look flickered across Shen Jiannan's face. The way Tang Jiefang had styled his invitation to "drink tea" just didn't seem right, no matter how he thought about it.
"Could he really be that soft-hearted?"
Shen Jiannan grinned. If Tang Jiefang were here and knew what dirty thoughts were running through his mind, he would have surely knocked all the teeth out of the boy's head.
After a ten-minute walk through the snow, Shen Jiannan reached the school gate.
Snowflakes like goose down drifted from the sky, and the weather was frigid. In all of Shen Jiannan's memory, Shanghai had never seen such a heavy winter snow, nor had it ever been this cold. Standing at the gate, he rubbed his hands together and glanced around. Aside from a black Volkswagen Santana sedan parked by the roadside, the area was deserted.
Song Xiaodan hadn't arrived yet.
Shen Jiannan raised an eyebrow. He had already accepted a significant favor from her, and now he was about to ask for a loan. It felt rather shameless.
"Women," Shen Jiannan muttered, looking for a place to shelter from the wind while he waited. Since he already owed her so much, he could forgive her for being late just this once.
Just then, the nearby Santana, its engine still running, slowly pulled up beside him.
The back door opened, and a man holding an umbrella got out. He was middle-aged, likely in his fifties, wearing a gray windbreaker over a suit and leather shoes. He carried himself with a dignified air as he walked directly toward Shen Jiannan.
"Hello, I'm Song Jun."
After a brief pause, the man added, "Song Xiaodan's father."
A peculiar glint appeared in Shen Jiannan's eyes.
It was an '87 Santana. In this era, anyone who could drive a car like this was by no means an ordinary person.
Still, Shen Jiannan wasn't particularly surprised. From Song Xiaodan's clothing and demeanor, he had already guessed her family was unusual; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to afford an imported coat.
As for Song Jun's identity, Shen Jiannan wasn't shocked either. He had guessed who the man was the moment he laid eyes on him.
He looked so much like Song Xiaodan; their eyes, in particular, were almost identical. Both had the same elegant phoenix eyes with subtle double eyelids, and their gazes were bright and full of spirit. The only difference was that Song Xiaodan's eyes were clearer, while Song Jun's were far more restrained.
Is he here to break us up, or just to threaten and warn me?
What a clichéd plot.
"Hello, I'm Shen Jiannan."
His humble response brought a flicker of surprise to Song Jun's eyes. Shen Jiannan's reaction was far too calm, completely outside of his expectations.
"Have we met before?"
"No."
Song Jun didn't reply immediately. He studied Shen Jiannan's eyes for several seconds before speaking again.
"I hope you can forgive my intrusion."
"It's understandable."
Shen Jiannan's composure left Song Jun deeply surprised, so much so that he didn't know how to proceed with his prepared words. After a moment of silence, he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"Do you smoke?"
It was a red soft-pack of Zhonghua, a premium brand in any era.
Shen Jiannan answered simply, "I do."
Song Jun offered a cigarette, and Shen Jiannan took it.
"Do you have a light?"
"I don't."
Song Jun produced a lighter from his pocket and handed it over. With a few flicks, the kerosene-wick lighter sparked to life, and Shen Jiannan touched the cigarette to the flame.
He took a deep drag, and the unfamiliar sensation of smoke filling his lungs made him feel a little dizzy.
"Cough, cough…"
"You don't smoke often?" Song Jun asked, lighting a cigarette for himself.
"Not recently."
There was no tension, no guardedness. Neither man spoke. Song Jun didn't state his purpose for coming, and Shen Jiannan didn't ask. Meeting for the first time, the two of them stood in the wind and snow like old friends, smoking and making small talk.
"This year's snow is really something."
"Yes. A storm like this probably happens only once a decade."
"Longer than that. I only remember seeing snow this heavy when I was a child. It must have been more than ten years."
As they chatted, the cigarettes, fanned by the strong wind, quickly burned down to their ends, and the conversation trailed off.
Silence.
As the silence stretched, a tense atmosphere began to build.
Neither man spoke. Song Jun squinted, his eyes fixed on Shen Jiannan, while Shen Jiannan returned his gaze unflinchingly.
Finally, Song Jun broke the stalemate.
"Before coming to see you, I paid a visit to your principal."
"Oh?" Shen Jiannan narrowed his eyes.
Song Jun, who had been carefully observing Shen Jiannan's every move, was once again surprised. Shen Jiannan's reaction was completely abnormal; he was neither angry nor resentful, nor did he show the agitation typical of a young man in his situation.
"Principal Tang has promised me he'll help you secure a permanent position at the end of the month."
As he spoke, Song Jun casually glanced at Shen Jiannan again.
This time, Shen Jiannan reacted, his thick eyebrows rising slightly.
It takes an ordinary teacher a full year to become permanent, but I can make it happen for you with a single sentence. I hope you understand the gap between our families.
That was the message Song Jun was conveying.
He was using his power to intimidate him.
It was a blatant display of influence, yet Song Jun wielded it with such finesse that one couldn't find fault, only a sense of an insurmountable gap.
The former Shen Jiannan would have been unable to remain indifferent. Any man would have been provoked. But unfortunately for Song Jun, the current Shen Jiannan was no longer the man he used to be. Though he was still a man, he now considered himself a rather shameless one.
So, he simply raised his eyebrows and said nothing. His only other reaction was the urge to laugh out loud.
Surprise, then annoyance.
An uncontrollable flash of annoyance crossed Song Jun's face. He was annoyed by another miscalculation and by Shen Jiannan's refusal to be intimidated.
Song Jun had looked into Shen Jiannan's background. His file said his self-esteem was particularly strong—so strong it was almost a distortion—stemming from his poor family background and his constant awareness of the gap between himself and others. Such people were often fragile and sensitive. A little pressure was usually enough to break them.
But now, it seemed his judgment had been wrong. Shen Jiannan's reaction was practically mocking him.
Song Jun's eyes narrowed subconsciously. After a moment of thought, he continued, "If you perform well, a promotion could be yours by next year."
This time, Shen Jiannan offered no reaction at all.
The annoyance in Song Jun's eyes hardened into anger. He had met ungrateful people before, but he had never encountered someone as obtuse as Shen Jiannan. Yet, given his status, it was beneath him to resort to harsh words with a mere teacher—one who wasn't even formally employed yet.
Song Jun failed to notice that the rhythm of the conversation had, without his realizing it, fallen completely under Shen Jiannan's control. Suppressing his anger, he said, "Aren't you going to ask why Principal Tang promised to help you?"
Everyone knew the status of a university president. A man like Tang Jiefang could easily become a high-ranking official if he were placed in the local government. The fact that he would agree to Song Jun's request spoke volumes.
Therefore, Shen Jiannan asked cooperatively, "Why?"
"Because I donated two hundred thousand yuan to your school."
"Hahaha…"
Shen Jiannan burst out laughing.
"Uncle Song—oh, no, Mr. Song. To be honest, you didn't need to go to all this trouble. Really. If you just want me to stop bothering Song Xiaodan, you could have given me the two hundred thousand directly."